25 Sep 2026
We were delighted to welcome HRH The Princess of Wales to Southend-on-Sea on Thursday 24 September to mark Addiction Awareness Week and launch The Big Addiction Conversation - our year-long campaign to get people talking more openly about addiction.
The Princess, who has been Patron of The Forward Trust since 2021, visited Forward Growing, our new community initiative at Garon Park, delivered in partnership with our STARS Southend Treatment and Recovery Service (STARS).
Forward Growing uses gardening, nature and outdoor activities to support recovery and wellbeing. Launched earlier this year, the programme gives people using STARS the opportunity to spend time outdoors, develop practical skills, build confidence and connect with others.
During her visit, The Princess met people supported by STARS and heard first-hand about their experiences of addiction and recovery, including the challenges they had faced and the difference that getting support had made to their lives and families.
The Princess’s visit marked an important moment in the launch of The Big Addiction Conversation, which will run throughout the next year as part of our Taking Action on Addiction campaign.
Around 17,000 people die from alcohol- and drug-related causes in the UK each year. The Big Addiction Conversation aims to spark 17,000 conversations over the next year - one for every life lost - creating more opportunities for people to talk openly and compassionately about addiction, its impact and the stigma that can make it difficult to ask for help.
As part of the campaign, we have created new Conversation Cards alongside people with lived experience. The cards are designed to make it easier to start meaningful conversations about addiction - whether with family and friends, in workplaces or across communities.
During her visit, The Princess took part in our Big Addiction Conversation event and saw how the cards can help people approach conversations that might otherwise feel difficult to start. By encouraging more open and honest dialogue, we hope the campaign will challenge misconceptions, reduce stigma and help more people feel able to talk about addiction and seek support.
Commenting on the visit, Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, said:
“We were delighted to welcome HRH The Princess of Wales to Southend to see the brilliant work of our STARS service and our new Forward Growing initiative, which uses nature and gardening to support recovery and wellbeing.
The Princess’s visit helped shine a light on the people at the heart of this work — and on the importance of creating spaces where people feel safe to share their experiences, ask for help and talk about addiction without judgement.”
Our goal is to start 17,000 conversations about addiction over the next year. One conversation for every life lost.
Want to be part of it?
Start a conversation using our digital conversation cards
Download our free toolkit and find resources to help you start conversations with others
Order a physical pack of conversation cards to use at home, in your community or in your organisation
Visit the Taking Action on Addiction campaign hub.
All photos copyright of Andrew Parsons | Kensington Palace
HRH, The Princess of Wales, with The Forward Trust's CEO, Mike Trace
HRH, The Princess of Wales, with Forward staff member Jonathan Clarke from Southend Treatment and Recovery Service (STARS).
HRH, The Princess of Wales, thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of Southend's lived-experience community.
HRH, The Princess of Wales, was introduced to our Taking Action on Addiction campaign's new conversation cards, which have been co-developed wth members of Forward's lived experience community.
HRH, The Princess of Wales, enjoyed hearing about our Forward Growing project in partnership with Garon Park.
